Monday, April 19, 2010

Burning stripes socks!

What a weekend! I must admit, we've never had a puppy like Denny before. He's cute, he's cuddly, he's smart, and he's also snarly, growly, and nasty. I'm concerned what will become of him, when he's like that as a seven week old. I'm thinking of getting some professional help, to hear what ideas others have regarding his aggressive streak. What can we do to make him a happy, well-behaved, healthy puppy?

But as I said, he's got his lovely moments too:
April 12-Denny-1
This basket tastes yummy - nom, nom, nom....

April 12-Denny-2
Denny!
Uh, yeah, that's me ...

April 12-Denny-3

Chew a bone instead!

Thinking ....

April 12-Denny-4

Yeah, alright.

April 12-Denny-6
Chew, chew, chew ....

April 12-Denny-7
Two minutes later. Snooze.
Oh, Denny, why can't you always be so easy going?

***
I've also got my first finished "Burning stripes socks" to show you:

Finished 1. pair of Burning stripes socks-close up of heel-3

Finished 1. pair of Burning stripes socks-close up of heel-1

Finished 1. pair of Burning stripes socks-1

pattern: by Susan Luni
yarn: Drops Delight, color # 04 and 12 (contrast could be better in places, but I didn't want to cut the yarn). The yarn itself is single ply, softer than Noro Kureyon sock yarn, and splitty.
needles: 2.5mm DP
start-finish: March 22 - 27
The heel is a jojo heel or also called boomerang heel. I've made those before, but Susan Luni has a new spin on it. I like her heel better, but still don't' like this kind of heel much. I love the contrasting stripe that goes down the back.
I'm on my 4th pair now. Could have stopped after the third pair, but Hannah asked me for a pair so I could not say no, but it's kind of dragging on. Will be glad when that's over.

***

Since both pups sleep right now (in separate rooms), I'll be doing some quick housework.

***

19 comments:

Linda said...

You have your hands full with puppy, maybe it would be a good idea to get some help while he is so young? Love the socks, I like the way the colours have knit up.

http://leafgreenknits.wordpress.com/

Katherinne McKay said...

Oh dear! Sorry to hear that your newest addition is still being mouthy! My sister's newest puppy was like that when we first brought her home. She was the runt of the pack and had a terrible Napoleon complex!

I'm not a dog trainer, but I'd try working with him with some positive reinforcement training, as well as making him work for his food. "Work" is just making him sit and wait for a few seconds in a calm and relaxed state. It might take him a bit to realize that's what you want, but it can calm him down pretty quick. If this doesn't work (and it will take loads of work from both you and the puppy) then I'd call a professional.

I've used this on my own puppy as well as my sister's and parent's. We've all got Pomeranians, and they can be a handful!

The socks look sharp! ^^

Connie said...

My daughter has a Shih Tzu who was very aggressive as a puppy. He be so sweet one minute and then be trying to rip her hand off the next because she was trying to clip his nails. I'm happy to say he is a lovely dog now although extrememly protective of her and her children. She was just very firm with him - gave him no opportunities to be the alpha - really dominated him when he was agressive. Good luck!

Great socks by the way!

Toby said...

I rather like how the contrast is high in some sections and lower in others. Even though I already have a stripey pair of socks on the needles, this pattern makes me want to cast on for another pair.

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

I *love* your socks! Do you know I've never knit a pair of striped socks? I so need to!!!

I think I mentioned that my neighbor has 2 Australian Shepherds. They have a large property and the dogs are kept outside, on patrol, so to speak. He works with them all the time and uses a whistle to train. He's retired so has lots of time to do this.

It is my understanding (from our recent brush with a "working" dog) that training every day is a must. As an adult that means 3 hours. Not sure what the time would be for a puppy.

Ann said...

Beautiful socks!
I would so much like to the heel with the contrast stribe from the inside to see how.
Concerning the puppy: He has still to learn who's the boss! Be very clear, simpel and consistent with your words, voice and bodylanguage.
And be patient ;-)
Easier said than done, I know.

Robin said...

VERY cool socks!

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Denny is too cute! I love the socks, and I like that they aren't super contrasty in some places, give it a neat fade in fade out effect!

Aggie said...

Cattledogs are wonderful dogs but you have to realize they are hard working dogs. He is just doing his job - trying to corral everyone into the same area; it's hard trying to keep track of all when they don't stay put. My cattledog gets into major trouble when she is not busy & she is 8. Try to see if you can find a flyball group - they are wonderful at it or he can be a frisbee dog - leaping in the air.

Michelle said...

Nice socks! Sorry to hear about Denny. I would look into a good trainer if you're that concerned. I'm no expert, but from what I understand, pups should stay with the litter until 8 weeks as the 6-8 week time frame is when they learn that aggression is not ok. Siblings and parents reprimand bad behavior themselves. A good trainer should be able to tell you the right way to get it across to him that if he acts inappropriately that he won't get any attention. Good luck. He'll be worth it with that sweet face!

Susan said...

Cool socks.

I would be concerned about Denny too. He is obviously a very dominant puppy and is trying to be the alpha to dogs and humans alike. The snarly stuff is pretty unusual in such a young pup. The best dog person I know is Sue Ailsby. No doubt she would have some very wise suggestions for you. If you are interested, here is her web page.
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/
She is amazing.

Anonymous said...

I love them - thanks for introducing me to such a groovy pattern.

No suggestions on a boisterous puppy unfortunately.

Walden said...

Love the socks, especially the orange heel! :) I am sure Denny will grow up to be a good dog. Like any other animal, he just needs consistency and lots of love.

2paw said...

I have no good advice. Usually my big dogs help keep the smaller ones in line. Vundy the German Shepherd was perfectly behaved, and Labradors are eager to please and generally happy!! Denny is probably settling in??
Why would he chew a delicious bone when he has the Forbidden Fruit Basket??!! He is so cute.
Lovely striped socks, and the heel is definitely extra special!!! Lucky Hannah!!

Jessica said...

Dogs that are left with their littermates until they are older often have more snarling and physicality in their communication makeup because they learn to use what works to get what they want. With a working dog, you have to reinforce good behavior and ignore bad behavior ALL THE TIME. His instinct is to control his surroundings and to do so by acting predatory. Use lots of games to control that instinct so he doesn't herd you :)

But you control the resources (anything that requires an opposable thumb), and a snarling misbehaving puppy doesn't get what he wants. Use positive reinforcement training to give him behaviors that you do want, and he will use those behaviors to get what he wants. Patricia McConnell (an excellent dog behaviorist) has some blog posts up about "dominance theory" that are very good. http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/dog-training-and-the-d-word/

I spend a lot of time with certified animal behaviorists, and just talking to someone and getting some tips can be amazingly helpful.

Cloudberry said...

Love your socks!!
And Danny is so cute :)

Dixie said...

I have a new puppy too, and someone recommended www.dogstardaily.com to me. There are articles and videos about every topic that you can think of. I'm finding wonderful information there about all aspects of puppy training and I highly recommend it!

SeattleAmy said...

I run a dog rescue so I see a lot of dogs.

Take the growly/aggression very seriously and work with with a dog trainer/behaviorist ASAP. Too soon was when he was 1 week old!

This is behavior that can be worked with, but it can also turn into some really nasty problems if you don't get on top of them. This is especially true since he was taken away from his litter so young.

Get a few books by Patricia McConnell:

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/category/dog-training-books

I especially like FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG: UNDERSTANDING EMOTION IN YOU AND YOUR BEST FRIEND. I just finished listening to it twice during my commute after reading it.

Teaching him to control himself - physically and emotionally, is so important and it's so much easier to do it before you have a major problem to fix!

I would also suggest you give him his food in a bob-a-lot. It'll make him tired by using up his mental energy and have to work for his food.

Virginia G said...

oh, those are very sexy socks. I think I might have to go dig out that pattern.

Secondly, if Denny is snarly or nasty, AND chewing on everything, he's probably having a nasty bit of teething going on. You might want to think about a frozen dog toy or something. We gave frozen waffles to my daughter (and to one of our puppies when nothing else was available) when she was teething. Works like a charm.